What Did “Lady Chatterley” Liberate?

What Did “Lady Chatterley” Liberate?

On that matter, Cuthbertson does little more than note the problem—but then neither does anyone else. The First Amendment offers no real guidance. So the fight gets pushed into the social sphere, where it reappears as a front in the culture war. Still, his book’s main claim is persuasive: “Lady Chatterley” is everywhere. Professor Cuthbertson…

Read More

Why the American Novel Refused to Grow Up

Why the American Novel Refused to Grow Up

It is frustrating—and characteristic of his somewhat monomaniacal approach—that Fiedler does not consider, alongside the seduction plot, its obvious complement, the marriage plot. “Clarissa” follows a nobleman who rapes a virtuous woman, but Richardson’s other seminal contribution to the development of the novel, “Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded,” from 1740, offers a similar narrative with a…

Read More

The Star-Crossed Recluse Who Brought Astrology to the Masses

The Star-Crossed Recluse Who Brought Astrology to the Masses

Goodman was born Mary Alice Kemery in Morgantown, West Virginia, on April 9, 1925. (The date was finally confirmed by a data collector who claims to have found her birth certificate.) There is little information about her childhood, and what there is comes from an unreliable source: Goodman’s penultimate book, a thousand-plus-page quasi-autobiography that she…

Read More

Aidan Turner Can’t Stop Smoldering

Aidan Turner Can’t Stop Smoldering

The Goring Hotel, near Buckingham Palace, is one of the few remaining places in the capital where you can still receive—thank God!—the services of a fleet of uniformed footmen, in spiffy red tailcoats and gold-trimmed waistcoats. There are hedges in the shape of rabbits on the manicured lawn, and occasional visits from a Shetland pony.…

Read More

These $55 J.Crew Shorts Look Identical to the Anti-Denim Pairs Every Chic Dresser Wears in the Summer

These  J.Crew Shorts Look Identical to the Anti-Denim Pairs Every Chic Dresser Wears in the Summer

Denim shorts once dominated the fashion zeitgeist, but over the past few years, the style set has pivoted toward more chic and relaxed shorts trends that transition effortlessly between moods, shoes, and wardrobes. One standout style leading this shift is the cotton poplin short. While brands like Leset, Matteau, and Toteme have been perfecting this…

Read More

Zara’s Chic New Linen Drop Is So French Girl-Coded—These 5 Trends Will Sell Out First

Zara’s Chic New Linen Drop Is So French Girl-Coded—These 5 Trends Will Sell Out First

After several weeks of glorious warm weather, the idea of wearing anything other than breezy linen or gauzy cotton feels impossible to entertain. Unsurprisingly, the new-in sections are overflowing with lightweight, heat-friendly layers, and I, for one, am feeling thoroughly inspired to refresh my summer wardrobe with a few worthy additions. With that in mind,…

Read More